AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Which is confusing because isn’t he supposed to be making me stay later? Isn’t he the slave driver?
Either way, I’m happy I can now spend as much time with her as possible.
“Good,” Maddox says. “Then you can come.”
“Maddox—”
"You won’t leave her for one week," Maddox says.
"You said it was a weeklong event."
"Yes, but we don’t have to be there the entire time. We can show up for the first couple of days and then leave after that.”
“I don’t know. It just doesn’t sound like a good idea. Plus, I'm sure the rest of the senior agents aren't gonna be happy with it."
"And so fucking what?"
I shrug. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem fair."
"Fair?" He smirks. "You think I give a damn about what's fair? Who the fuck do you think I am?" He gets up and walks over to lean on the desk right beside me. "Okay, let me phrase it this way, so you understand what's going on here. You’ll be coming with me and you don't have a choice about it. Got it?"
Ooh, something about that commanding tone just sets me on edge. "You can't do that."
"I can and I have." I catch the moment where his eyes flicker down to my lips and then back up to my eyes. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
I frown, irritation growing. Why did I come here in the first place? Did I actually think we were friends? Because he'd done a good job of convincing me that we might be forming a kind of friendship.
But now I can see that we've only ever been boss and employee.
At the same time, I can’t deny that there’s a part of me that’s excited about the opportunity. These conferences are really big for networking and meeting more agents and potential high-ticket clients around the area.
Still, I know going will become a point of contention with the rest of the agents in the office.
I shake my head, more at my conflicted thoughts than him. "And we were doing so well without you playing the bad guy."
"What are you talking about, babe?" he mocks. His cologne swirls around me as he leans down. His breath has shivers skittering over my skin. "You love when I play the bad guy."
Chapter Sixteen
Maddox
Apotentialheatwavethreatensthe next day, but I still find myself driving an hour down the highway in the middle of the afternoon.
My destination is a quaint little cottage on the edge of the city, the size of which could probably fit in my living room.
Ava's eyes widen in disbelief when she sees me standing at her doorstep.
“What are you doing here?”
“Picking you up," I say. "Or did you forget our little trip?”
“I didn’t forget, but I thought that we agreed that I would meet you at the office.” She crosses her arms to hold together the robe she's wearing. “And we aren't supposed to head out for another three hours.”
“I know.” I walk into her house, noting the small but relatively neat interior. It doesn’t look like anyone put a lot of thought into the décor because there is no cohesive style that runs through the design. There are bright colors and a random fish sculpture on a nightstand, the TV is hung on top of a glass bookcase and there is a bohemian-looking throw pillow over bright sunshine yellow couches. Random paintings of fruit hang on the wall. Looks like a kid made them. All in all, it's worlds away from my modern condo or my parents’ Victorian mansion that once belonged to some silent movie actress.
But there is one word that comes to mind when I see Ava's house.
Cozy.
